“Come, for I am drinking stars!"
– Dom Pérignon, allegedly after tasting his first champagne
While there is an understandable reluctance to lump Hanukkah together with Christmas, the two events have one obvious parallel – each presents an annual opportunity to celebrate with family and friends while indulging in a variety of seasonal dishes that have special relevance to the occasion.
As travel expert Rick Steves can tell you, each country the world over has its own special Christmas traditions, which includes what foods you find on the Christmas dinner table. Here in America, many of the holiday mainstays we enjoy were brought over by our ancestors when they emigrated, and standard fare can vary by U.S. region, and even by state. But whether you dine on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, some are universal. Here are the origins of a few of them: